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VTBO...Kiwi's want to know....

Everywhere Sutter, Sean, and I went in New Zealand, sooner or later the locals would ask me about the US election. It became common enough that I had a somewhat canned speech about it.

My response went something like this:

'It's a bit embarrassing, isn't it? We tend to think ourselves, the US citizens, being the only ones affected by this. However, we definitely seem to be the world's laughing stock about what is going on these days.

Please accept my apologies about Donald Trump. Actually, nobody can apologize on his behalf because he cannot apologize for anything, anytime, anyway. He is the most absurd and outrageously stupid man I've never known.'

I proceeded to tell them that although I am a registered Republican (and have been so since I was eligible to vote), I don't often vote for the party line. The only reason I continue to stay a Republican is that I get to see what goes out to that constituency, and keep abreast about what they want to do.

While I haven't made up my mind about the CA primary, much less the Presidential election, I tend to think that Hillary is the best qualified for the job. I let S&S's Kiwi friends know this. However, the Hillary 'email' episodes keep on giving, like a very stinky Easter gift. She just can't seem to shake herself from sending those stupid emails, over an unsecured server (am I saying that right?).

I let their friends know that, in my opinion, Billy-boy (Clinton), is a noose around Hillary's neck. She should just tell him to stay at home, go golfing, and disappear. She's running the show now, not him. He is no asset to her, in any way.

However, I've learned that over the years, both of them are out of the same mold. They want power, and will do most anything to grab it.

I let their friends know that the reason 'the Donald' has gotten this far is because there are so many who are pissed off about how the (federal) government is run. Dark money and filthy rich people trying (and succeeding) to influence politicians with the best money can buy.

It's very discouraging to me. Yet, I do think in hindsight, with a bit of perspective, we will see that Americans will take back their government, and based on their votes, will elect those who seem to be a bit more honest than those who are in office these days.

At the very least, in the small group of S&S's friends, I get to tell them what I saw one day, while teaching glider flying, the sign that showed up on the pilot's 'lounge' bulletin board...VTBO. And that's what Carl and I did for so many years. VOTE THE BASTARDS OUT. In one election we certainly did vote for the garbage collector who was running for office. It beats the alternative. It's HUGE, as 'the Donald' would say.

(This post is NOT a commentary about Sheryl Sandberg's book, Lean In. )
I was watching a hawk soar the other day, off my balcony. It was morning and the sky was blue but calm. Well, it seemed calm to me but I wasn't soaring. The hawk was.

When I was learning to fly gliders, I thought we were towed up, and just glided to earth in 20 minutes after we released the line from a 3000 foot tow by the airplane in front of us. Mostly we were preparing for a landing at about 1000-1200 feet, hopefully touching down where we took off.

Don, my instructor, would show me what to do, and then I'd attempt it. But he was keeping us upwind of the field and was looking all around, while my focus was straight ahead.

As I was watching the hawk, its natural instincts were to lean in, to catch the rising air, sometimes with great effort, sometimes with minimal effort.

In life we have choices. We can either glide down or we can lean in...tilt/turn into the lifting wing, into the rising air. It…